Saturday, November 25, 2006

This is the kind of anecdote that really brings home the disturbing nature of the consumer-focused American culture:

Charlo Sterio, a 58-year-old horse groomer from Miranda, about 55 miles south of Eureka, was first in line to wait for the doors to open at 5 a.m.

Having camped out in front of the store for 24 hours, Sterio passed up Thanksgiving dinner offers from friends in order to drive down in his RV and buy a $380 laptop, a $190 desktop computer, a TV/DVD combination unit and other gizmos at steep discounts.

"I'm pretty hungry," Sterio said as he was jostled in yet another line inside the store at the computer section. "I missed Thanksgiving dinner. I sacrificed that."

But Sterio had no regrets. "I can't be in two places at one time, and my first choice was coming to Best Buy to get the deals," he said.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

So I went to Trader Joe's today to get this special pumpkin creme pie for tomorrow's Thanksgiving dinner with our neighbors. I was also shopping for the rest of our Thanksgiving stuff. Trader Joe's failed to provide fully HALF of all the stuff on my list. I don't understand why people shop there! You can't actually do your shopping there. They don't have pop. They don't have Cheerios. They have, like, two kinds of soup. Ugh. How do they stay in business?

Sunday, November 19, 2006

She embodies all that is wrong with San Francisco politicians. She believes the entire world revolves around San Francisco and the needs of the city trump everything else. Most San Franciscans believe this, but she has the power to impose this belief on the rest of us.

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Arthur and I drove up to Skyline tonight to try to view the meteor shower. Some other folks who were up there claimed to see a couple shooting stars, but I guess I missed them. We all left after about an hour...

Sunday, November 12, 2006

The air is crisp and you've probably turned on your heater or furnaceby now. So here's the first Action of the month: Turn down yourthermostat by two degrees in winter. For each degree, you can cut yourenergy bills up to 5 percent and keep 315 pounds of planet-heatingcarbon dioxide out of the atmosphere in a year. Flex Your Powerrecommends 68 degrees in winter, and 55 degrees at night and whenyou're not home. Consider installing an inexpensive Energy Starthermostat that you can program (set it to warm the house just beforeyou get out of bed!).

Second action of the month: Use less gasoline! This is probably one ofthe biggest things we can all do to stop global warming. Here are afew suggestions to get you started:* Don't idle. Whether you're in the school's drop-off zone or on thewrong side of road construction, turn off your engine and save gas andmoney.*Spend a few minutes talking with your family about how you can driveless. Maybe you could set up a carpool for after-school activities.Maybe you could walk to a nearby shopping center to run a few,lightweight errands, or if you do drive, park in a central locationand walk to the shops within a quarter of a mile. Ride your bike withyour kids to do your errands or go to school.*Consider if there's one day in your week or month when you can leavethe car in the driveway, choosing instead to bike to work, take thebus to the movies, or stay at home relaxing. One less pound of carbondioxide is emitted for every mile you bike, walk or take publictransit instead of driving.

To learn more: Last month we talked about how much money andelectricity you can save by installing compact fluorescent bulbs. Oldthermostats and compact fluorescent light bulbs contain mercury.Please dispose of them at free household hazardous waste days or theSan Carlos Recycling Center, 650-592-2411.

To do more: Consider supporting International Buy Nothing Day, heldthe day after Thanksgiving. By staying home from crowded shoppingcenters, you'll save gas, save money, and save on the gasoline used tomake products, package them and ship them. We'll give you some greatalternatives to shopping next month in the December issue of Cool thePlanet. In the meantime, check out these great resources onsimplifying the holidays http://www.newdream.org/holiday/simplify.pdfand buying responsibly http://www.newdream.org/consumer/index.php.

Friday, November 10, 2006

"We do know of certain knowledge that he [Osama Bin Laden] is either in Afghanistan, or in some other country, or dead."

Or, just stick with the old classic:

"Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns -- the ones we don't know we don't know."

Thursday, November 09, 2006

I'm trying to decide if I can actually feel sorry for these parents or not. Yeah, the MTV presence is probably a distraction, but they're the ones who are letting their kids drink, go on shopping sprees and get plastic surgery.

"Anyone out of high school forced to watch more than an hour of “Laguna Beach” might possibly feel the urge to beat themselves about the head with a large stick."

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Andrew Hamm June 7, 1960 — Oct. 30, 2006 Services will be Monday for former Tracy Press reporter Andrew Hamm, 46, who suddenly died Monday at his Tracy home. A native of South New Jersey, Mr. Hamm had lived in Northern California for the last 26 years. A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, he served from 1978 to 1982 and was discharged as a corporal. Mr. Hamm covered city and police issues for the Press until about 1998, when he left for a position with the Tri-Valley Herald. He spent the last six years reporting for the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal. Mr. Hamm loved sports, especially baseball, and he played on many recreation softball leagues as an adult. He was an avid fan of Bruce Springsteen. Mr. Hamm was a beloved brother and son and he will be missed by all who knew him. He is survived by his mother, Jean Hamm; brothers, Douglas Bonnell, and his wife, Amanda, Glenn Hamm, and his wife, Annette, Frank Hamm, and his wife, Trish; sisters, Marianne Bonnell, Paula Hamm, Alice Baker, and her husband, Larry, Janet Brunetti, and her husband, Jon, Betty Carter, and her husband, Dale, Judy Barker, and her husband, Michael, Victoria Anderson, and her husband, Jim; former wives, Esther Gonzales and Zena Robbins; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Frank Hamm. Monday’s services will be from 2 to 4 p.m. at Hotchkiss Mortuary, 5 W. Highland Ave.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Friday, November 03, 2006

It's almost election day. So it's time to talk about propositions. Let's start with 90. Proponents say this is supposed to limit eminent domain, which sounds like a great idea. Except it actually forces the government to pay people when they do something that damages their property values. (Does that mean Redwood City has to pay me because my street is unsafe and they refuse to do anything about it? Hmm, probably not.) This would basically decimate all publicly funded programs. So I don't know how this got on the ballot. Anyhow, it's bad.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

"Throughout the European Union, laws have been passed to guarantee food safety and animal welfare, restrict the use of antibiotics among livestock, ban genetically engineered foods, encourage organic production, and begin the deindustrialization of agriculture. These laws do not mean a return to the 19th century. On the contrary, they encourage the wise, careful application of 21st-century technology, along with a sense of humility before nature."